Genre Research

This is a kid's movie...?

    I grew up immersed in a world of animated children's horror films and many of their stylistic choices I can see reflected in my own style as a filmmaker. Animated Horror for children is a very distinct genre that shines in its balance of scary and playful elements. The genre often utilizes fantastical themes and humor to counter a lot of its heavier and dark concepts. Films in this genre typically center around supernatural elements and the moral of family.

   Some of the most common conventions of this genre include moments of comedic relief. Films in this genre use comedy as a main way of offsetting the darker and scarier story points. The plots of these films also tend to follow themes having to do with coming of age, appreciating friends & family, and overcoming childhood fears.  Much of these films also tend to be stop-motion animated. Creating an age-appropriate animated horror can be a very difficult task, it is important to keep a clear distinction between good & evil, without having any part of it be "too scary." Directors such as Henry Selick and Tim Burton are considered some of the pioneers in this genre for expanding the range of topics a children's film could cover, such as in The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) which was one of the first children's films to actively play into common childhood fears such as "the monster under the bed," while keeping it stylistically fun and cheerful through a song despite its dark and grotesque visual style. 

    Animated children's horror also tends to follow a very specific production style. Much of these films feature very consistent use of low key lighting throughout as well as using weather to directly reflect the main character's emotions. They also tend to have long dynamic scenes with a lot of camera movement. They also make use of motifs for many of the more prominent characters.

    There are also many conventions in marketing that these films use. The most obvious is holiday-aligned release schedules, movies such as Wendell and Wild (2022) and The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)are released on or around Halloween to take advantage of the spooky time of the season. Marketing for these movies also seems to portray the plot as a journey or adventure that the character is going on.

the set of Coraline during "the web scene"

    A great example of a movie that follows many of these conventions is Coraline (2009) which features the title character on a "journey" through an idealized parallel world where her "other mother" gives her everything she desires, only to soon find out that you can't always judge a book by its cover. The movie makes use of cloudy and rainy weather throughout most of the movie as she explores the dreary new town she has just moved to. This later changes to bright sunny weather once the film reaches its conclusion. The Film also features distinctions between good & evil through creative monster design as the "other mother" transforms into a spider-like monster as her true intentions are revealed and is then given the name "The Beldam." With its strong messages of morality, bravery, and family, this movie is an amazing example of the conventions found within these films. This film also takes advantage of holiday-timed releases as even though it originally premiered in September, to this day it comes back to theaters for special screenings on October 31st.

    Monster House is another horror movie I grew up watching, although not stop-motion animated, it definitely follows suit with the other conventions of the genre. It follows a group of 3 friends as they unravel the mystery of their creepy neighbor's house across the street. The film makes use of atmospheric key lighting and darker themes of death & abuse. The story also intertwines the necessary comedic relief to provide a moment away from the heavier topics. Other popular films in this genre include: Corpse Bride (2005), Hotel Transylvania (2012), and Frankenweenie (2012)

Representation

    Representation is one of the most important things to consider not just when making media, but also when consuming it. The representation of characters in a piece of media can be what drives its story. Representation can also develop the way others percieve the group being represented, so it is important to consider what backgrounds or biases the creator of a piece of media may have to understand how the perspective of the creator may alter the representation of certain groups.

Girl, Interrupted

“Crazy isn't being broken or swallowing a dark secret. It's you or me amplified. If you ever told a lie and enjoyed it. If you ever wished you could be a child forever.”

― Susanna Kaysen, Girl, Interrupted

    The 1999 film starring Winona Ryder and Angelina Jolie is a prime example of why perspective changes the way characters may be represented. The film is based off of a memoir documenting writer Susana Kaysen's time at a women's mental health facility. Throughout the film we see a subtle change in how each character in the ward is written as the main character grows closer to the rest of the patients. Characters who may have originally been portrayed as strange, are later normalized as Susana comes to understand the other girls in the ward.

    One of the first girls Susana meets in the ward is Georgina. Diagnosed with Pseudologica Fanatastica, a condition characterized by compulsive lying, the film originally characterizes her as someone who cannot be trusted, using techniques to create an uncertain atmosphere around her words by holding on close ups of her face after she has said something.

    Later in the film however, Georgina becomes a trusted confidant of Susana's. The film shifts its tone in scenes with her to a more almost tragic and understanding light, as it can be understood that she uses lies as a sort of sheild to protect herself, something that can really be scene in the climax when Lisa shows the rest of the girls Susana's notebook which still has writing from the beggining of her stay, revealing unsavory first impressions. Georgina's portrayal 

(Note: This scene will be brought up several times later, it will be included at the end because of its relevance to all of the main characters.

    The most standout character of this film is Lisa Rowe. Her progression as a character is the most different from the rest of the girls as she starts with a mysterious light. The film takes the approach to her introduction just as written in Susana's Memoir

                                        “With wild eyes that had seen freedom.”

                                                        ― Susanna Kaysen, Girl, Interrupted

    The film maintains a mysterious light around Lisa up until her friendship with Susana begins to blossom. She is then depicted as an extremely charismatic rebel type character. Lisa stands out as a trouble maker who earns the trust of the girls by breaking the rules to get the other girls what they want. At first, this may seem uncharacteristic for someone with anti-social personality disorder, or as put in the film, "a diagnosed sociopath"  The writing of Lisa's character isn't changed throughout the film, but rather on a scene to scene basis, where we might get a scene of her harassing a young girl of the psych ward, be paired with a scene of her helping to soothe her tears. The representation of her character is influenced by Susana's perspective of her as a wild and unstable woman.

    The last character I want to talk about is Susana herself. The film doesnt change the representation of her character but it does push the shift in her understanding of her own mind. In the beggining the film is constructed in a disordered, fragments of memories are intertwined with present happening at the ward as she swears that she doesnt have any kind of mental disorder. This representation creates a conflict within the film. With time however, the film turns toward a more streamline order as she comes to terms with her condition. Accepting she has Borderline Personality Disorder is when the film first takes on the more chronological approach, and marks a change in the selection of what is included. Before this the film would only select the strange behaviors of the others at the ward. In contrast, after this the film would include scene constructing upon a sisterly bond with Susana and the girls of the ward.

    Overall this film is shown to be a prime example of how the representation of characters in media is a direct product of the different perspectives of those creating it.

“Have you ever confused a dream with life? Or stolen something when you have the cash? Have you ever been blue? Or thought your train moving while sitting still? Maybe I was just crazy. Maybe it was the 60's. Or maybe I was just a girl... interrupted.”
― Susanna Kaysen, Girl, Interrupted

PS: In preparation for this post I created a chart to help me differentiate the traits of the characters from diagnosable traits of the mental ilnesses each of them have and i thought that might be intereseting for anyone who wants to read it:

Character	Traits	Mental Illness
Susana Kaysen	Emotional instability Impulsive behavior Fear of abandonment Unstable self-image Intense and unstable relationships Drug Abuse	Frantic efforts to avoid real or imagined abandonment Pattern of unstable and intense interpersonal relationships Identity disturbance: markedly and persistently unstable self-image or sense of self Impulsivity in at least two areas that are potentially self-damaging Recurrent suicidal behavior, gestures, or threats, or self-mutilating behavior Affective instability due to a marked reactivity of mood Chronic feelings of emptiness Inappropriate, intense anger or difficulty controlling anger Transient, stress-related paranoid ideation or severe dissociative symptoms	The film’s portrayal of Susana aligns more closely with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) than Bipolar Disorder. This accuracy reflects the real-life Susana Kaysen’s diagnosis. The movie captures many key aspects of BPD, including emotional instability, fear of abandonment, and impulsive behaviors. However, it may not fully explore all nine criteria used for diagnosis in clinical settings.
Georgina Tuskin	• Elaborate, often unbelievable stories • Difficulty distinguishing truth from fiction • Tendency to exaggerate experiences	Persistent pattern of lying, even when there’s no clear benefit Creating complex, detailed false narratives Lying becomes a habit or addiction May believe their own lies Often stems from low self-esteem or desire for attention	The film’s portrayal of Georgina’s lying seems to align fairly well with the real disorder. However, the movie may not fully explore the underlying causes or the potential for this behavior to be a symptom of other disorders.
Lisa Rowe	• Manipulative behavior • Lack of empathy • Impulsivity • Disregard for rules and others’ rights • Charismatic and persuasive Violence	Failure to conform to social norms Deceitfulness Impulsivity or failure to plan ahead Irritability and aggressiveness Reckless disregard for the safety of self or others Consistent irresponsibility Lack of remorse	Lisa’s portrayal in the film closely aligns with many traits of Antisocial Personality Disorder. However, the movie may romanticize or oversimplify her condition, potentially missing the complexity and variability of the disorder in real life.
Daisy Randone	Obsessive hand-washing Hoarding behaviors (specifically with rotisserie chickens) Rigid routines Anxiety and distress when routines are disrupted	Persistent, intrusive thoughts (obsessions) Repetitive behaviors or mental acts (compulsions) Excessive concern with orderliness and cleanliness Perfectionism that interferes with task completion Inability to discard worn-out or worthless objects	The film portrays some classic OCD symptoms in Daisy, particularly her compulsive behaviors. However, it may not fully explore the range of obsessions and compulsions that can occur in OCD, nor does it delve deeply into the underlying anxiety driving these behaviors. The character’s eating disorder and potential trauma history also complicate her portrayal.

Sound (& babies on this plane)

    This past week in my AICE Media class we learned about sound in films.  We explored the different types of sound used in films and how they change the film. We especially over diegetic sound which is essentially the sound in a film that takes place inside of its world. For example, the sound of typing in the background of an office scene would be considered diegetic sound, while the music played under dialogue in this scene would be considered non-diegetic.

Soundscape Project

    After learning all the necessary principles of sound design, we were tasked with designing a complete soundscape for a scene of our choice. The only sound we could use would be diegetic sounds, and we were limited to 7 words for the entire 1-2 minute scene.

Pre-production

    After minor interruptions due to Hurricane Helene, me and my partner got to work brainstorming and laying out all the necessary sounds needed to create the scene. After some discussion, we decided on the sounds of boarding an airplane, by breaking this scene up into separate sections we were able to outline what was needed for the scene. We decided on 3 sections: waiting at the terminal, going onto the tube, and finally boarding the plane. We then used these 3 sections to compile a list of sounds for each in a shared document.

Production

    The next part of our project included us needing to Foley in at least 4 sound effects. By foleying the sounds, we can get a more specific and clear sound effect, closer to what we would need for the scene. The 5 sounds we ended up recording were a zipper, water running, a plastic bag popping, keys jingling (to be used as zippers hitting against hard cases, and an AirPods case snapping shut (used as the luggage rolling on the metal tube. 

(link in case the video isn't working)

Post-production

    Finally, we had to edit together the scene using a combination of the sounds we recorded and sound effects from the Internet. I originally began editing on Adobe Audition, but the project file corrupted, and the app was taking up too much space on my laptop, so I started over in Adobe Premier Pro. Using Adobe Premier Pro would slightly limit me in comparison to audition, but it also had the necessary effects for me to put onto my sounds.

Final thoughts

In the end, I think my project ended up pretty good. I think it captures the moment of being in the airport and boarding the plane perfectly. One of my favorite moments is when the captain speaks over the intercom like one of the adults from The Peanuts animations. Another fun moment was the bay crying during the flight. It never failed to get a reaction from those who I showed it to and that was definitely the intention.

(link in case the video isnt working)